


Tender Bedfellows

by quiet__tiger



Series: Porn Star 'Verse [4]
Category: Smallville
Genre: Drama, Established Relationship, Humor, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-04-04
Updated: 2008-04-04
Packaged: 2017-11-01 11:39:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,902
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/356304
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/quiet__tiger/pseuds/quiet__tiger
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Clark and Lex reminisce about events surrounding Clark's pregnancy with Logan.  Note: This is part of the Porn Star 'Verse, comes after Frisky Business.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Tender Bedfellows

**Author's Note:**

> This is part of the Porn Star 'Verse (<http://www.livejournal.com/tools/memories.bml?user=quiet>tiger&keyword=Porn+Star+%27Verse&filter=all), comes after Frisky Business (<http://quiet--tiger.livejournal.com/340785.html>).

## Tender Bedfellows

by Quiet Tiger

<http://quiet--tiger.livejournal.com/profile>

* * *

Title: Tender Bedfellows  
Author: Quiet Tiger  
Pairing: Clark/Lex  
Rating: PG-13, but there's a little profanity Word Count: 10,809  
Warning: Mpreg/alien!Clark (though nothing terribly detailed) 

Summary: Clark and Lex reminisce about events surrounding Clark's pregnancy with Logan. 

Logan isn't actually in this. 

The Kent parents presented here are based on their characterization in Unsafe. 

* * *

The Sunday when Clark accidentally walked in on Logan and Tim, he was clearing the table from dinner when Lex "Hmmmed" in his direction. "What, Lex?" Clark didn't roll his eyes, but he wanted to; somehow Lex was allowed to sit and think and space out while Clark put everything in the dishwasher. There was a gender role thing going on that he didn't really appreciate. Then again, Lex doing anything remotely as plebian as rinsing dishes was a sight Clark wasn't sure he was prepared to see, even after all this time. 

"Just thinking about Logan and Tim today. Before they disappeared and then left to go back to Gotham. Did they seem different to you?" 

Clark didn't answer; he'd decided to postpone the revelation of Logan's reasons for his sexual behavior until he had a chance to talk to the AI himself. He turned back to Lex, who looked at him like he was trying to read his mind. "They seemed normal." 

"No, they didn't." Lex narrowed his eyes, and Clark winced internally. Busted. "What's going on?" 

Clark sighed. "They've become..." he waved his hand up and down, "you know." 

Lex frowned. "Ballerinas?" 

Clark laughed. "No. Ah, special friends." 

Lex put his head in his hands. "What's wrong with that boy? He's damn lucky he probably can't get sick. There's such a thing as too much sex." 

"There's nothing wrong with him. He's just... like me." 

Lex looked back up at him from a space between his fingers. "Meaning?" 

"Kryptonian. Enough that he's horny all the time. Apparently it's normal for us to want sex all the time." 

"Hmm. Nice of the AI to clarify that, and whether or not it would affect our son. So you weren't just uncontrollable around me? I didn't make you so hot you couldn't stand it? _Anyone_ would have done?" He crossed his arms over his chest and pouted. "You could have been just as happy with Lana." 

Clark wrinkled his nose. "I may not be fully gay, but I haven't been interested in Lana since I finally realized I could have _you_. Anyway, with Logan, like with me, he needs a lot of sex to be satisfied. Hence the whoring around and the porn and everything. But..." Lex winced in preparation. "Once a Kryptonian male gets penetrated, it seems to activate... a need for that. To reproduce with that option with another male. You and I never noticed my behavior was bizarre because you weren't much different, and we were exclusive. In order to avoid the dangers of promiscuity, from a pregnancy standpoint, Logan decided to use Tim alone, and not bottom in his job." 

"That explains a lot. Though I'm still hurt that you just needed sex, not just _me_." 

"Oh, come on, it's not like I didn't want you, didn't love you. We're still here, twenty-three years after our first date, seventeen years of marriage." 

"I'm just being difficult. It's not every day you find out your husband and son have to sleep around. What are the consequences of this pent up sexual energy?" 

Clark shrugged. "I don't know. We've never gone more than a couple of weeks, and even that's rare. I don't know about Logan. He just talked to the AI about it after Tim said something." 

Lex's eye twitched in that way that meant he just figured something out. "Something happened, didn't it? He's going along fine at his job, as far as I know, and then he stops for some length of time, long enough for the energy to be a problem, and then he gets Tim in on it? What happened?" 

Clark was going to deny anything happened, but Lex narrowed his eyes again and he didn't dare dance around the truth. "A couple months ago there was an incident with a broken condom. Don't worry, nothing happened, but he was pretty scared." 

"He _should_ be. He knows better." 

"It's not his fault it broke." 

"Well, he should be more careful." 

"He stopped sleeping with strangers and apparently plans on getting it only from his best friend, at least for a while. That's pretty darn careful. And besides, if you and I were careful, we wouldn't have a kid." 

"I just don't want Logan to go through what we did. At least you told me you were an alien. Logan can't tell everyone he partners with." 

"That's why he's with Tim. Tim knows Logan better than we do." 

"I just... I don't know. I'm frustrated. I hate that he has to behave the way he does, and I hate that he felt like he couldn't tell me. Obviously he feels more comfortable with you." The steely blue eyes narrowed again. 

"Only because he got his freak Kryptonian genes from me. The source of all his problems." 

"I know stuff." 

"I know. You're also..." Was there a nice way to say `a stick in the mud'? 

"The bad guy. I know. I'm the one who disciplined him, I'm the one who made him learn business, not taught him to fly. I get it. I can't set things on fire with my eyes or see through walls." 

"But you're always there to answer the questions he wouldn't bother to ask me, history and science and that sort of thing. And he always goes to you to complain about the superhero crowd." Lex's lips twitched; he always enjoyed hearing the gossip Clark either didn't know or refused to share. "Believe me, if you want to help him with his alien heritage, you're welcome to. It's stressful, everything that comes up, and then not being able to talk to you about it." 

"Well, he seems happy, so you're probably doing a good job. Besides, I was there for you. It was hard enough then." 

"But good in that way those sorts of things are, right?" Clark sat down back in his chair across from Lex. "I mean, we were fine together, but Logan gave us our family." They didn't often reminisce like this, but whenever Logan was the topic of discussion, if the conversation was serious enough, Clark couldn't help but think back to that tumultuous time when it became evident that his life was more strange than he ever thought it could be. 

It seemed like Lex's thoughts were running in the same direction. "Almost lost us _yours_ , but what are you gonna do..." 

* * *

_Almost twenty_ - _one years ago_

"He's WHAT?!" Lex felt himself actually sputtering, something he was sure was never before done by a Luthor. 

In its cold, monotone voice, the AI answered, "He's pregnant." 

Clark threw up all over the floor of the Fortress. 

"How can he be pregnant? He's male!" 

"Kryptonian males have both external reproductive organs and internal organs for reproduction with other males." 

"Why? Isn't it better for survival of the species if there's more difficulty in reproducing?" 

"Kryptonians did not face the same evolutionary problems as your terran ancestors." There was an insult there, somewhere, but Lex was too distracted to worry about it right now. "To ensure that all genetic material gets passed along, males can carry and bear young if necessary." 

"Does it happen often?" 

"Usually only in the case of a monogamous homosexual couple, or gender isolation." 

Huh? "So do the women have... external organs for implanting their material in other females?" 

"No." That flat voice was driving Lex crazy. "That would not be evolutionarily feasible. There is already enough competition between males for viable females." 

"Fine, okay, whatever." Lex would think about all of that later. Right now... Clark looked miserable, eyes wide and skin gray. "So, what, my sperm... did what?" 

A screen materialized in front of them, the graphic on it depicting a drawing of a cross section of what Lex assumed was a naked Kryptonian man. An inset highlighted a region off the rectum and above the prostate gland. "There is a duct from the rectum to the equivalent of a female uterus." Lex could swear the AI was daring him to `do the math.' 

"So... what now?" Clark's voice was small like nothing about him ever was before, his eyes wide and afraid, chin trembling. 

"We have a kid, I guess." Suddenly Lex felt like vomiting as well. He wasn't dad material. 

"I think I'm going to be sick. Again." Clark turned green, like when he was near meteor rocks, and threw up once more. 

The AI offered unhelpfully, "The nausea should subside in three to four weeks." 

* * *

Clark couldn't believe it. _Pregnant_. But how? Well, not _how_ , he knew the facts of life, but usually the baby thing ended with the woman. Not _him_. Another wave of nausea rolled through him and he groaned and rolled onto his back. 

"Are you okay?" Lex was looking at him blankly, which probably meant he was unsure of how to proceed. Clark could empathize. 

"I feel sick." 

"I know." Lex sat down on the edge of their bed in the mansion, where they'd come after talking to the AI. He ran a hand through Clark's hair, over and over, and it felt nice. "Any worse, I mean." 

"No. More of the same." He'd been fighting queasiness for weeks. It was a mostly unfamiliar and certainly unwelcome sensation. The vomiting had finally caused them to seek the help of the AI, which had materialized in the Fortress when it was made. Somehow Jor-El had disappeared, leaving behind the massive computer. It was actually rather comforting; the AI wasn't as manipulative as his biological father. 

"Well, the AI said it would go away in a month or so." 

"I don't know if I can take another month of this." It was really, really disgusting, being sick like this. 

"I think you're going to have to. I'll be here." Clark turned his head to look up at Lex; he really had been awesome the past month. Always asking him if he was okay, or if he needed anything... Clark's eyes welled up with tears and he fought to keep them from falling. There'd been a lot more of that, too, lately. Hormones? "Don't cry." Lex frowned at him and stroked his cheek with his thumb. 

"What are we going to do?" It was a question they'd been avoiding since they got back, but one that desperately needed an answer. 

"I don't think we have other options than to carry the pregnancy through to the end." 

"Easy for you to say." 

"Did you want to terminate it?" 

"I don't know." 

"Well, you must still have time to think about it. Though perhaps we should go back to the AI when you're feeling a little better to get more information." The fingers were still petting his head through his hair, and Clark turned into the touch the best he could. What was he going to do if Lex got freaked out and split? The tears welled up again, and Clark hated himself for it. "Hey. Hey..." 

"Don't leave." 

Lex blinked and frowned. "I'm not going anywhere. Is that what you're worried about? Me leaving because of this?" Clark nodded, chin trembling. "I'm not going anywhere, Clark. This is... unexpected, to say the least, but if it's normal for your people, and you're okay, then I'm okay. I'm not ready to be a father, I don't think, but you don't always get to choose what comes at you in life." 

Clark sat up slowly, keeping his stomach in check as he sat to see Lex better. "So you're okay?" 

"I'm far from okay, Clark, but I'd bet I'm better than you right now. Actually... once I realized that what we had was for the long haul, I was a little upset that I'd never have an heir. But since this all happened..." Lex's eyes were bright, and he was actually smiling. 

"Well, that's good. I guess." He smiled slowly in return, Lex's apparent happiness infectious. "So. A baby." 

"Yeah. I hope he'll be okay, with the mix of our genes." 

"What do you mean?" 

"The mix of species. I mean, mine are mutated, but to mix with yours... We need to go back to the AI. Let's make a list of questions." 

" _Lex_... I've been about three seconds from puking ever since we got back. I'm not making a list. Everything will keep for a little while." 

"Okay, okay..." But Lex had that far away look in his eyes that meant he probably wasn't actually aware that he was speaking, so deeply lost was he in his thoughts. 

Clark rolled his eyes, glad the tears were over with for right now. Lex was right, they did need to go back. But not right now. He just wanted to go to sleep. 

After he peed for the eighth time that day. 

* * *

The second trip to visit the AI for information went far smoother than the first. Clark didn't even vomit. They'd gotten information on the details of the biology involved, and learned that their son was expected to be born in approximately eight and a half months. The gestation period would be about a month longer than a normal human pregnancy, so Clark was due in May. 

The date of conception was a particularly balmy July day, made balmier by long, sweaty sexcapades in and around Lex's pool. They'd only recently started experimenting with some bareback sessions... 

No more of _that_. 

After grilling the AI, they returned to the mansion for lunch. "So, the mix of DNA isn't going to be a problem." They were sitting on the couch in Lex's TV room, watching a pre-season football game with the volume muted. "I really was worried." 

"Well, if it were different enough, it wouldn't have happened at all." Clark stared down at his sandwich. 

"I was still worried. And you've been so sick. What if it was a bad sign for the baby?" Clark shrugged and put his plate on the coffee table. "Are you okay?" 

" _No_." 

"You still feel sick?" 

"No, shit-for-brains, I'm going to have a damn _kid_." He scowled fiercely. 

"Hey, calm down." Lex put his food down and raised his hands in defense at the unusual outburst from his lover. "Hey, I thought we'd decided that it wasn't so bad. We've known that we're in this relationship long-term, we don't have to worry about money, neither of us is under age and we haven't done anything illegal. ...I don't think." 

"Well, your body isn't going to change, you don't have to tell your conservative Midwestern parents that you got knocked up by your boyfriend, you're done with school, and you're closing in on thirty in a couple years. I'm barely out of my teens." 

"I'm sorry." And he was; Lex felt like shit. He'd been thinking of Clark throughout all of this, but nowhere near as much as he'd been thinking of himself. Clark was right; their age difference was just enough to put them in different stages of life. Lex, while not ready for fatherhood, was better able to handle it. Certainly from Clark's perspective. "But what's done is done, and there doesn't seem to be another choice but to carry everything through. Instead of focusing on the negative things, focus on the positive." 

"Like what. And don't give me that heir nonsense, the Kents have nothing." He crossed his arms over his chest, looking like the petulant teenager he never had been. 

"You're going to have a son. Plenty of people kill for that or pay tens of thousands of dollars. And here it is. And you won't be the Last Son of Krypton any longer. That's some pressure off of you." Lex slid closer so he could put an arm around Clark's shoulders. "And you'll have someone you can boss around, and teach, and share the world with." 

"Like you do with me." 

Lex tilted his head. "Sort of. Except bossing you around is like bossing around one of your cows. It doesn't work very well." Clark didn't smile. "Come on, Clark. We have to make the best of it. Maybe it won't be so bad." 

"Maybe. And maybe my parents will disown me, my body will stretch to grotesque proportions, I won't be able to finish school, and maybe, just for kicks, I'll develop some new power to keep me guessing throughout the entire ordeal." 

"If you get a power, we'll figure out how to handle it. Even if you have to take a break from it, you'll finish school. Your parents, well... I don't know how that's going to go." The Kents had enough trouble accepting he and Clark together at all. He rested a hand on Clark's denim-clad thigh then ran it up his leg and over his stomach. "But over all, don't think about what you perceive yourself as losing. Think about what you're gaining. Think of Lex Junior running around." 

"We're not naming him Lex Junior. No way." 

"Well, we've got to think of something." 

"Not right now. First we need to make sure my parents don't kill me. Or you." 

"If they kill me I'll haunt them. Make noise, rearrange their furniture. Tip all of their cows." 

"They're my cows, too. And Clark Junior's." 

"If he can't be Lex Junior, he can't be Clark Junior." 

"Let's not worry about that yet. First let me get a day or two without puking." 

"I'm all for that." 

* * *

Clark's stomach hurt so bad he couldn't eat; he just picked at his food and tried to make it look like the volume was decreasing. 

"Clark, are you all right? You're not eating." 

Clearly, he was not successful. 

"I'm, well, actually..." He looked at his mom, who frowned at him. He and Lex were at the Kent farm for dinner, so his parents could catch up with the start of his senior year of college, and Lex's business endeavors. They'd chosen tonight to share the news about his unexpected condition. He was so nervous he could barely look at his mom's food. 

Which meant he was pretty damn nervous. 

"What's wrong, son?" His dad was frowning at him, too. Ever since he'd left Smallville Clark hadn't had too many weird things happening to him to prompt deep, meaningful discussions complete with nervous preamble. 

It had been a weight off his shoulders. 

But now, his parents were watching him with worried eyes. Lex reached over and entwined his fingers with Clark's, squeezing his hand. Clark looked over at him, and tried to draw strength from those warm, encouraging eyes. It would be bad enough to drop the pregnancy bomb on his mom and dad if he was a girl, but the current situation was exponentially worse. 

But then again, maybe they'd understand... 

"Mom, Dad..." He took a deep breath and focused on a spot on the wall behind his parents. "Lex and I are going to have a baby." He was met with silence and a confused look from his mom, so he clarified, "I'm pregnant." 

The silence stretched further, deeper, until it was so loud he could feel himself preparing to babble something just to end it. 

Fortunately, his mother cut him off. "What do you mean?" 

Lex started to tell the story, and just as he got to the biology behind it all, Clark's dad stood up and left the room. Then the house. Lex trailed off as the screen door slammed shut, and Clark's mom took the chance to jump in. "You've engaged in marital relations?" Lex looked confused, but nodded. "Is it even possible for you to get married?" 

Still confused, Lex slowly answered, "In some states, and Europe. Massachusetts and Vermont, for example." 

"So you _could_ have gotten married." 

Clark offered, "Well, yeah, but what does that have to do with anything?" 

His mom's eyes flashed angrily. "Everything, Clark! It's one thing to live in sin when you don't have a choice, but to do so when you _do_! It's inexcusable!" 

"Huh?" What was she talking about? 

"I thought your father and I had raised you better than that. And yet here you are. Marriage is supposed to mean something, and expressing your love physically is a part of that." 

"What, did you think Lex and I haven't had sex our entire relationship? We've been together for more than three years!" 

"Did it even occur to you to wait?" 

"No!" _You_ try waiting when Lex wanted to have sex with you. No one could refuse the man! "Why should we wait when we love each other? And did you even hear the part about the baby? Lex and I are going to be dads!" 

"I'd rather have time to think about all of this, Clark. It took long enough to come to terms with you partnering with Lex, but to have the evidence of what you do in your free time... We'd hoped you'd grow out of this and find a nice girl and get married." She shook her head. "Maybe it would be better if you came back tomorrow so we could talk." 

"Um... okay..." He was frozen in place until Lex pulled him up by the hand, his gaze locked on the tears rolling from his mother's eyes. 

Soon they were back at the mansion, where they were spending the weekend. Clark fell asleep crying in Lex's arms. 

* * *

Lex went to bed angry and upset, and woke up just plain angry. The Kents portrayed themselves as loving, understanding parents, yet condemned Clark for having sex with his life partner without being married? Was the issue simply compounded by the partner being another man? Or were the Kents so backwards that they were unable to get beyond the constructed importance of the institution of marriage? 

Whatever it was, a large, very unhappy, two and a half months-or-so pregnant alien manchild cried himself to sleep on him, soaking Lex's t-shirt with tears. Forget how alarmed Lex was at the amount of tears that had been leaking out of his boyfriend lately, that was another issue entirely, but the fact was that Clark's mother had hurt him deeply and had gotten upset over something that while it was not immaterial to the immediate issue at hand, was so out of the realm of issues at the moment that Lex was having trouble wrapping his head around it. 

However, perhaps Martha Kent would get her sanity back before dinner, so that they could all have a rational discussion. 

He continued to stroke Clark's hair, until he opened his blue eyes and looked up at him. "Mmmm." 

"Good morning." 

"What's so good about it? I feel like I'm going to throw up and my parents hate me." 

"They don't hate you. They're just having trouble dealing with the issue at hand. By projecting their anger onto the cause of the immediate issue, it allows them more time to process and think about it." He hoped. Clark was still very close to his parents, and needed their support. 

As for Lionel, Lex didn't care about his opinions. The man was in Metropolis all the time now though didn't look in on Lex much any more. Though it did help that Jor-El, pain in the ass that he was, did the brain swap thing with Lionel, and Lionel seemed okay with Clark's alien heritage. He didn't want to experiment on him, anyway, which was the important part. They'd have to tell Lionel about the baby one day, but it didn't have to be now. 

They'd been trying to do the right thing with the damn Kents... 

The day passed slowly until it was time to head back to the Kent farm. The ride over wasn't filled with as much nervousness as the night before, but there was a much thicker amount of dread. "What if they're still mad, Lex?" 

"I don't know, Clark. We just have to see what happens." 

Clark nodded, then folded his hands in his lap. Part of Lex cursed his love of standard shift cars; he couldn't hold Clark's hand if he had to use the gearshift. 

They rolled into the Kent driveway slowly, and caught Jonathan as he walked from the barn. The man nodded once and continued into the house. "Well. At least he's in the house." 

Clark didn't comment, he just stared out the window. 

"Come on. We have to go inside. If they're still on their righteousness trip, we'll leave. Neither one of us needs that abuse." Clark nodded again. "And we haven't done anything wrong. We love each other, right?" Clark nodded again. "Then expressing that isn't a sin. It's just what it is, an expression of feeling." 

"Yeah." Well, at least that was a verbal answer. 

Lex pulled Clark's head towards his for a kiss, and after a moment Clark kissed back. "Come on. Before your dad comes out with his shotgun to interrupt us." 

"I wouldn't joke." There was no humor in Clark's voice, and that disturbed Lex just a little bit. 

They finally willed themselves to get out of the car and walked slowly to the house, the fingers of Lex's right hand linked with those on Clark's left. They were going to present a united front and stand up for themselves if it killed them. 

Lex tried not to think of all the impromptu weapons lying around the average kitchen. 

Martha opened the door for them and offered a greeting; Lex didn't listen to the words so much as watch her eyes. The smile didn't quite reach them. Too bad, really, she was a striking woman when she wasn't being a prudish bigot. 

"Dinner will be ready in a few minutes, boys, take a seat at the table." They did, Clark not letting go of Lex's hand. He was actually starting to squeeze it. 

"It's okay, Clark." 

"Yeah." Meaning _no_ , _it_ ' _s not_. 

Jonathan Kent entered the room and sat down, wearing a different, cleaner shirt than he had before. That was a good sign, right? Wanting to look nice? Maybe it was just ingrained habit. 

It was an excruciating few minutes until dinner was served, and the atmosphere in the room remained tense until well into the meal. Lex watched as the Kent parents talked to each other with their eyes, and then finally Jonathan put down his fork and held one hand in the other. "So, boys, we're actually going to be grandparents." 

Lex frowned at the `actually,' but nodded at the statement. "Yes. Sometime in May." 

Martha jumped in. "So you know the due date already?" 

Clark answered, "The AI told us. It told us some of what to expect, too. I'm still nervous, but I should be okay." 

Jonathan frowned at that. "Was there a risk you might not be okay?" 

Lex explained that they were worried about the mix of species, but the AI seemed to indicate that everything would work out. Jonathan frowned again. "What about Clark's school? He can't go in that condition." 

Lex hid his surprise at Jonathan even wanting Clark to finish school; he had always assumed that Jonathan regretted ever pushing Clark towards college, preferring he stay on the farm the rest of his life. "He should be fine this semester, and then he can take off the last semester, or he might be able to finish from home. The baby isn't due until the semester's over." 

"What about graduation?" 

Clark finally spoke up. "We're just gonna have to play it by ear, Mom." He fiddled with his napkin. "Our son is more important than me getting the fancy piece of paper in person and wearing the goofy hat, or finishing on time." 

"Son? You're going to have a son?" Jonathan seemed to actually be interested rather than horrified. 

Clark smiled slightly. "Yes. The AI was able to figure that out. No, we don't know how." 

"A son..." Jonathan had an odd faraway look in his eyes and he stroked his chin. "I never thought we had to worry about our boy getting into this sort of trouble, but I suppose things could be worse..." 

"They absolutely could, Mr. Kent. A lot worse. But we have the resources to care for a child if not the know-how." 

Martha frowned _again_ and Lex spared a thought for the unhappy wrinkles no doubt forming. "What about childcare? Is Clark going to be a housewife?" 

Clark choked on the milk he'd been drinking. When he could finally breathe, exclaimed, "No! I'm not a girl." 

Jonathan had that `I am so wise I can't hardly stand myself' look on his face. Lex hated that look. "You're carrying a child." 

"I'm not a _girl_!" 

Lex jumped in before things got ugly over a gender argument. "We have plenty of time to worry about logistics. Right now I'm more concerned Clark does his class work and doesn't encounter Kryptonite. It's too soon to worry about things, and life can't stop in the meantime." 

Martha sipped her water and looked at Lex and Clark over the glass, and when she put it down she offered less-than-helpfully, "Do you two have any definite plan? Babies take a lot of planning and work. And Lex, you have your company, and Clark, you do need to finish school and then work yourself. And a baby needs so much love, and attention..." 

Lex _barely_ bit back a scathing remark along the lines of `How would _you_ know' and merely said, "We'll be fine." He also didn't add that Clark needn't ever work if he chose not to. But he knew that Clark didn't want to be a kept man. But Lex would do anything for him. 

Jonathan looked like he was hiding a smirk behind a dinner roll. "If you say so. Kids are a lot of work." 

Finally pushed beyond his limits, Lex stood and slammed his hand down on the table. "That _does_ it! We came to you hoping you'd share in our good news. Yes, it's odd, and yes, it's unexpected, but you're going to be grandparents. Your son loves you and wants your help and love and encouragement and maybe a reassurance that his fears, and there are a _lot_ of them, are unfounded. And you've done nothing but reveal how bigoted, hateful, and prudish you are." 

Lex shoved his chair into the table, its legs scraping across the floor. "You know what? Yes, Clark and I have sex. I ride him fast and hard and long whenever we get the chance, and then other times he does it to me. Because we like it and we love each other and it's normal for a couple to express themselves in that way. And no, we haven't always used protection. And now we're going to have a kid. It's unexpected but it _happened_ and if you don't get used to the idea soon you're never going to see him. You two of all people should realize how amazing a sudden child is in the face of a couple who can't create one." 

He tugged on Clark's shirt collar and he obediently stood, numb with shock. "Your son was afraid to tell you about this turn in our lives. I told him not to be worried about your reaction. You should be glad, Jonathan, it's proof that I'm fallible. And here you are telling us that we don't know what we're doing, implying that we don't have what it takes to raise a child? Look at your own son!" Clark looked horrified and upset, skin gray and eyes rimmed red. "You spent so many years lying to him, gave him all kinds of complexes that I was finally able to break through so that he wasn't ashamed of himself. Great job. Hell, Lionel will make a better grandparent than either of you. He's a bastard but deep down he cares. You're just the opposite. You're all high and mighty and project such loving care, but both of you, you're cold and hateful underneath the surface." 

After glaring into the stricken faces of the Kents, he tugged Clark towards the door, and as he slammed the screen shut he snarled out a "Good bye." 

Clark finally started moving on his own once they got down the stairs. "Lex, what did you just do?" 

"Finally said what I've been forcing myself to keep back for some time. They really did a number on you, Clark. Add to that the mess with Jor-El before his essence disappeared, and you had a trio of horrific parents." 

"Said the son of _Lionel Luthor_." 

"But he's just one man. And everyone knows Lionel is evil and screwed me up. Everyone thinks the Kents are wonderful, and I'm sorry, Clark, they're just not." 

"But they're my parents..." Clark reached the car, and Lex took the opportunity to press him against it. 

"They're also mean, cold, bigoted, and condescending. You don't need them." Lex kissed him, trying to will his boyfriend's pain away. 

"Yes, I do." 

"Not right now. Let them think about how much they need you and love you, and give them time to realize how damaged and damaging they are. They'll come around, and not because they feel forced to, because they want to have a part in your life, and our son's." 

"I hope you're right." Clark kissed him again. "But don't you ever do that again!" 

"Oh, believe me, if they had made another comment about our sex lives, I was going to strip down and fuck you right there on the table. Just push the potatoes out of the way." 

"Lex!" That might have been a blush spreading across that beautiful face. Even after all they'd shared, Clark could still blush ferociously sometimes. 

"Come on. Let's go home before they run us off the property." 

Clark scowled. "This _was_ my home." 

"Come on." Lex opened the door for Clark then went around the car to his. 

Unspoken was the echo to Clark's statement, that the Kent farm wasn't his home anymore. Not for the immediate future, anyway. 

* * *

Clark was trying to write his medieval history paper, really, but he couldn't focus. It had been two weeks since the argument at his parents' house, and he was worried they'd never call. What if they never talked to him again? And he'd never know if it was because of Lex, or because of the being-with-a-guy thing, the premarital sex, or the unprotected premarital sex. 

His life was a complicated mess at the moment. 

Not that Lex wasn't his normal excellent self, but there was still a lot of weight on his shoulders. 

And his parents had made at least one good point. What were they going to do for childcare? 

He finally decided that possibly arguing with Lex was more desirable than working on his paper, and went to go find him. The penthouse wasn't all _that_ big and Lex was a creature of habit, and Clark quickly found him in his office. "LexCorp stuff or solitaire?" 

" _Solitaire_?" Lex huffed. "Please, Clark. It's Internet poker." 

"You win anything?" 

"Couple hundred." 

Clark wanted to ask if that was actual hundreds or hundreds of thousands, but instead walked around the desk to sit on the edge in front of Lex. "We need to talk." 

"Everything okay?" Lex frowned at Clark's abdomen like he was the one with X-ray vision. 

"He's fine. For now. But what about when I want to go to work?" 

Lex looked back up at him. "You know you don't have to." 

"I don't want to be a housewife...husband. I can stay with him for a while, but I need to finish school next year. And then what about after? I'd like to work. And what about meteor freaks or other things that take up my time? What if more Kryptonians show up when I'm with him? I can't rescue people if I have a kid in tow." 

"We'll think of something. We have time." But Lex finally started to look a little concerned, then covered it quickly. 

"It's going to go by fast." He snapped his fingers for emphasis. 

"Don't worry about it. Go finish your paper." 

"I don't _want_ to." 

Lex rolled his eyes, as Clark expected him to. "You're the one who had to study something I'm not all that helpful with. Go. Then later I'll reward you." 

"Yeah? Sex or pie?" 

"I never said either/or." 

"I love you." 

"With good reason." 

* * *

Midway through November, Lex was drawn out of his work organizing budgets by a panicked alien manchild screaming his name. He didn't have superspeed himself, but he was in their room in a flash, where he found Clark staring at himself in the mirror. "What's wrong, Clark?" 

"I'm _showing_!" He turned his pretty face and cut body to him, and yes, the abs weren't as cut. And the grimace wasn't all that pretty. 

"You have been for a week or so. I thought maybe it was too much candy at Halloween, but it's never had this effect on you before." 

"I'm not fat, I'm pregnant!" 

"And I hope you're listening to yourself. Because as far as we know, what you're experiencing is normal." Lex braved closing the distance between them and tracing his fingers over the place were Clark's abs now bulged slightly over his jeans. "I'm sure it's alarming, Clark, but it's got to happen. I assume." 

"Yeah..." He finally smiled, blue eyes lighting up. He put on hand over Lex's. "He's got to make space for himself." 

"Exactly." 

Quietly, Clark offered, "It makes it more real. I could sort of ignore it before, think the AI was just confused, but now..." 

Lex smiled back. "I understand." Sort of. 

"We need to call Chloe." 

"Why?" 

"I want her to be a part of this." 

Chloe had been Clark's friend since before Lex even moved to Smallville, and she'd been part of Clark's educated circle for a couple of years, and she'd supported their relationship. It was too bad she'd chosen Gotham University over Metropolis University. "You're right. She should be. She'd be a great asset. You don't have class until later, why don't you call her? Invite her for the weekend, I'll pay for it. I'm sure she'd like to get out of Gotham for a while." 

Clark made a face. "That place is awful. How does Bruce stand it?" 

"Bruce became married to that city long ago. Divorce would be messy, if not impossible." Lex finally pulled his hand from Clark's abdomen and slapped him on his denim-clad ass. "Call Chloe. Tell her we have big news." 

"Yes, sir!" 

* * *

Clark grinned as he opened the door for Chloe. He couldn't wait to tell her about the baby or the proposal they'd come up with. Chloe smiled back, but her eyes were wondering what was up. "Hey, Clark." He wrapped her up in a hug. She hugged him back then pushed him away. "What's up with you? Am I dying?" 

"No. We just have good news." 

"I wondered what warranted a free trip to Metropolis." 

Lex gave his patented `All you have to do is ask' reply, and Chloe rolled her eyes as she smiled, and then Clark led them all to the kitchen. It wasn't the homiest room, but it was a long-ingrown habit to talk over important matters in the kitchen. 

Besides, there was pie there. 

Chloe waited until they were all seated and served before bubbling out, "So tell me!" 

Clark fought his sudden fear and blurted out, "We're going to have a baby." 

Chloe wrinkled her eyebrows. "What do you mean?" 

"He's knocked up." Lex crossed his hands over the back of his head as he leaned back in his chair. 

"What?!" There may have been more to Chloe's screeched statement but it wasn't audible to even Clark's ears. "You're pregnant? When? How?" 

Clark went through the whole story, with Lex interjecting when he felt Clark didn't provide enough information. Chloe was fairly receptive of _every_ sort of detail. She didn't even touch her pie, she was listening so raptly, awed grin on her face. 

Finally Clark felt like he was done, only stumbling over the part about his parents. Chloe didn't smile during that part, in fact, she looked close to tears. He sat back in his chair, too, and wondered when he had eaten his pie. 

"Wow, guys. This is major. I mean, it's good, if you're okay, but just _major_." 

"I know. I think I was still in denial until I started to show. But now I can't really ignore it. Not that I was able to ignore the massive amounts of vomiting. But it's real." 

"Wow. I just can't... I can't believe it." 

Lex leaned forward again. "We also have a proposal for you." 

Chloe raised a dark eyebrow and crossed her arms over her chest then changed her mind and rested her hands on the kitchen table. "What sort of proposal?" 

"When the baby is born, we're going to need help with him. I can work from home more often, but I do need to work, and I travel often. And as you know Clark's attention is often drawn to creeps, thugs, and villains, or they are drawn to him. He also has to go back to school for one more semester in the fall. We were wondering if you'd like to move in with us and help us take care of the baby, at least for a little while, when Clark and I can't be home." 

"Like a... like a nanny or something?" 

Clark answered, "Sort of. Look, you know that outside of this room, only two people know that the baby is actually ours, both mine and Lex's naturally. We can write off his arrival as adoption or an accident with a woman, but if we need to leave him with someone, it would help to have that someone know who he really is, and how much of a miracle he is. We have household staff but when it comes down to it we just can't trust them." Chloe looked about to say something, but he kept on going. "I know that the _Gotham Gazette_ is probably going to offer you a job you can't turn down, but Lex has a way around that." 

"I can pull strings in Gotham and Metropolis, have you work wherever you want when we're ready, part time in Metropolis while you're here. You help us out, and a job will be a thank you." Lex's eyes had that dangerous sparkle. "Or. We give you the rights to a book or column deal. I'm too high profile to keep a child from the world for long. You'll have exclusive rights to keep the world informed of the Luthor family. Not certain details, of course, but human interest things. When he's old enough, the book can be published or the articles published in a book, and you'll have exclusives on anything related to us or him." He smiled gently. "We don't want to ask you to give up your dreams and aspirations of Pulitzers, but we're both selfish. We want you to be a part of our son's life. He needs a female presence. Especially as a baby. Can you imagine Clark and I raising him on our own? It will be a disaster." 

Chloe cocked her head. "So you want me to help. And you'll give me a job? When? When he's in school? Eighteen? Though the idea sounds interesting..." 

Clark dragged his chair across the floor to get closer to her. "We need your help. We need you to be there when Lex and I can't." He sat up straighter. "Take the weekend to think about it. And we don't have details, either. It would be something we work out as we go. And you wouldn't need to be here all the time. Lex and I are both home a lot, but we can't both be home all the time, and you know how things can get out of control quickly." 

"Let me think about it, okay, Clark?" 

The silence in the kitchen grew thick, and Chloe nervously ate her pie. Clark finally tried to break some of the tension by asking about Chloe's internship at the _Gotham Gazette_. Lex asked her if she'd ever had to do anything on Bruce Wayne, Prince of Gotham. 

She wrinkled her nose. "He's a piece of work. He always plays himself off as dumber than a rock, but I don't think he is. He's hiding something. And I've seen business in action, on a small level, anyway. His company isn't run as if its COO was a moron." 

Clark smiled; maybe one day they'd be able to tell her the truth about Bruce. 

"Bruce and I went to school together; he was two years behind but four years younger. He was my best friend until I met Clark." Lex's words made Chloe's jaw drop open. "He isn't a rock, no. Sometimes he can be, but so can everyone. Well, he isn't a rock mentally. Emotionally he isn't the most malleable person." 

"He carries a lot of pain. Not that you'd tell most of the time, all those women on his arms at all those fancy parties..." Chloe shrugged. "That's cool that you know him." 

"Did you know he owns _The Daily Planet_?" 

"Yes. I always found that strange." 

"He's an eccentric man." 

Talk devolved into more general topics then, catching up with each other, Chloe telling the latest sob story involving a boyfriend, and Clark told her all about his classes. Some time after Clark served himself a second piece of pie, Lex left the room to go make some phone calls or something, Clark wasn't paying attention. 

Chloe took the time alone to ask more personal questions, about if Clark was really okay, and how he felt about everything. He assured her that he and Lex were happy, now that the initial shock was over. It felt good to hang out with Chloe again; her move to Gotham really cut into their time, even if he could run or fly there without too much trouble. 

Finally Chloe sat back and chewed on her lip. "What, Chloe? I know you want to say something." 

"Clark... I want to do it. I'll help you with the baby in exchange for Luthor-Kent exclusivity where possible. I know you wouldn't ask for my help if you didn't trust me, and you know I wouldn't do anything to harm any of you. This is the chance of a lifetime; Lex is close to royalty, even if I can't give all the details. You know, `Clark Jr. lifted the coffee table over his head today.' But even without that... And I love you guys." 

"Chloe..." Big drippy tears threatened to spill from his hormonal alien eyes. "Thank you. We don't know what we'd do without you in our lives." 

"Just remember that when I refuse to change another diaper." 

* * *

"We're not naming him Alexander Junior." 

"I know, I said `Alexander the Second.'" 

"NO." 

"But I do want to keep the Luthor first-name-begins-with-an-L tradition." 

"Yeah, _Al_ ex." 

" _Lex_." 

"And you don't like Clark, Jonathan, Jerome, or any of the names of the players on the Sharks." 

"And I'm sure you're really shocked at that." 

"No. But we've got to come up with something." 

"And nothing too Kryptonian. No Jor or that guy your dad worked with, Zod." 

"What, `Zod Luthor' doesn't have a nice ring to it?" 

"Not only does it not ring, it does not even creak, squeal, or groan. Though I might." 

"You're so dramatic." 

"And you're changing the subject. And remember, whatever his first name is, he'll go around known as "Name L," which sounds like `El,' so you're represented." 

"Oh goody. So if you name him Archibald or Napoleon, at least it will sound like `Archibald-El.'" 

"Archibald doesn't shorten to an L name." 

"Fine... no... Leonardo." 

"I don't want to give him a name with a long or complicated meaning or connotation. It's difficult to live up to the expectations of names sometimes. Nothing with a meaning of leader or ruler or grand something something." 

"And the names have to flow together nicely. Which knocks out something like Lukas or Louis. Hmm... Lawrence, Landon, Liam..." 

"Hmm, Liam. I like that. Masculine but not overpowering." 

"`Overpowering'? Like... Rex or Edge or Blaze or something?" 

"Because I would name my child any of those. None of them shortens to an L name." 

"You're such a dork." 

"Said the pot to the kettle." 

"At least I didn't want to name him after Warrior Angel." 

"Well, we've got to name him something. He can't be Baby Boy Luthor--" 

"Or Kent." 

"--forever. `Luthor' carries a lot of weight. I thought we discussed this." 

"And it's just as likely to get him beaten up." 

"Until he develops some of your gifts." 

"If he does." 

"He will. At least, I have hopes that's he's not going to be a klutz forever." 

"Hey! And maybe I don't want him to be a nerd!" 

... 

"Is this a stupid argument, or what?" 

"Truer words have never been spoken." 

"We just have to see what happens. Joys of parenthood and all that." 

"Yeah, and you get to tell him where babies come from." 

The look of horror was worth the cheap shot. 

* * *

"Lex, I'm _bored_!" And _boy_ was Clark bored. He was also hungry and fat and lonely and cranky and bored. He was too big to be able to go outside where people could see him, and trips to the roof just weren't enough of a change of scenery. Lex didn't want him running or flying, he couldn't escape to the farm, and he'd already done everything there was to do in the apartment. 

Lex worked from home more, and they took drives whenever they could, and Chloe visited whenever she could, and even Bruce stopped by a few times, but Clark suspected that was only to laugh at him. 

And he still had two months to go. 

He'd almost welcome another visit from Lionel, who had accepted the whole baby and life partner thing without too much fanfare. But Clark suspected it weirded him out because he didn't stop by much any more. 

Lex finally came into the study, where Clark was aimlessly playing Lex's Xbox. "I'm sorry, Clark. I can get you movies or books or food or games, but that's not going to help much." He sat down next to him on the couch. "But it won't be much longer." 

"Easy for you to say." 

"You're right." He put his arm around Clark's shoulders, and Clark leaned into him. Lex was home more, but he wasn't always available. "Is there anything I can do?" 

"Play with me." Clark shoved the controller into Lex's hand. 

"You don't mean... the _other_ kind of play? The kind I'm actually good at?" 

"Later. Right now I want to beat you up." Clark carefully got up and grabbed the other controller out of the drawer in the coffee table, then sat back down heavily. 

"Um... actually, or in the game? This _is_ one of those fighting games, yes?" 

"Yes." Clark got settled and started to play, and Lex joined him before too much of his character's energy was drained. This was definitely better than playing by himself. And Lex needed to relax, too. 

And Clark was finding the violence very therapeutic. 

But he'd still take up the offer of sex later. 

* * *

The son of Clark Kent and Lex Luthor was born on a warm day towards the end of May, after hours and hours of awkward contractions. Clark wasn't so much in pain as he was uncomfortable, but he held Lex's hand anyway, as tightly as he could without breaking bones. Lex's private doctor Toby watched over the proceedings, as did Chloe, but as far as anyone could tell the birth was routine. 

Except for the blood that kept flowing long after it should have been over. Fortunately Clark eventually clotted properly, but he passed out after a while, his body just not used to that sort of abuse. Toby and Chloe tended to the baby while Lex split his attention between fretting over Clark and fretting over their son. Glad they planned ahead, Lex turned on more daylight lamps, illuminating Clark's body with as much artificial sunlight as if he'd been standing on the roof soaking up the real thing. 

He came to a short while later and blinked sleepy eyes at Lex. "How is he?" 

"Ten fingers, ten toes, good lungs, and hair just like yours." 

"So we'll go with Story C, he's my child with an experimental one night stand who gave him up." 

"Cheating bastard." 

"And yet you love me." 

"I do." Lex leaned down to kiss Clark's forehead. "And I assume it's reciprocated." 

"No, I just had your kid because I hate you." 

"Well, you could hold him for ransom." 

"Mmm." Clark closed his eyes and smiled, then opened them again. "Can I see him?" 

"Chloe and Toby and looking him over." 

"Wait! Here we are." Chloe appeared next to Lex, a bundle wrapped in a blue blanket in her arms. "He looks just like you, Clark. With Lex's eyes." She handed him over, and Clark's eyes went wide as he reached out. 

"Wow. He's so small." 

"Anything is small to hands that can palm a beach ball." 

"Haha, Lex. It's when I can palm your big head that I'll admit my hands are a little large. And he certainly didn't feel this tiny a little while ago." Lex leaned over their son as Clark held him to his chest; he did look like Clark. Complete with the confused look on his face... 

Chloe gave them a moment alone before she must not have been able to hold back. "So what name did you finally decide on?" 

Clark sighed. "It wasn't easy. If it were up to Lex he'd be Alexander Warrior Angel Tolkien Skywalker Luthor the Second. Or something even worse." Chloe grinned and Lex tried to look appropriately affronted. "But we decided on Logan Ryan Kent Luthor. We were going to hyphenate the last name, but changed our minds when we realized Luthor-Kent sounds like Luthor-Can't. And Kent-Luthor doesn't sound right. If he wants to go by Kent when he's older, he can, but for now he's a Luthor." 

"You don't have to make it sound as if that equates to the Spawn of Satan." 

Chloe interrupted the old argument by saying, "I thought you were leaning towards Liam." 

Lex answered, "We were. But Logan is of Scottish origin, which is the one part of my heritage that Lionel didn't invent. And we decided that we wanted a harder consonant sound in at least one of his names, so we went with Logan. And it's a popular name but not too too popular." 

"And then Ryan... that's sweet, you guys." 

"He should live on somewhere." 

Their moment of silence was broken up by Toby checking Clark's vitals. "You seem fine. You feel faint?" 

"No. I feel tired, but that's to be expected, right?" 

"Your guess is as good as mine." 

Logan started to fuss then cry, and Clark looked panicked. "What's wrong? What if he's hungry? What do I do?" 

"What do you think?" 

Clark looked down at his chest. "Shit." 

* * *

Two weeks after Logan was born, Lex and Clark worked up a birth certificate that would pass any sort of scrutiny, short of Batman's. 

The new family, including Chloe, was enjoying a lazy Sunday alone, one of few left while the household staff was still on extended leave, as they had been once Clark started showing. None of them were there all day every day, but it didn't hurt to be careful. 

Logan was asleep when the door buzzer to the penthouse rang, and Clark caught Lex's Death Glare at the door. The baby wasn't a good sleeper and he'd only been put down a short time ago. If the bell woke him up, Clark knew whoever was at the door would deserve whatever Lex gave them. 

Lex answered the buzzer. "Yes?" 

"Mr. Luthor, Mr. and Mrs. Kent are here." 

"Who?" 

"Mr. and Mrs. Kent. They say they're Clark's parents." 

"I know who they are. Or who they claim to be." Lex looked over his shoulder, and Clark knew his own eyes were wide. His parents hadn't spoken to him since he and Lex walked out in September. And he and Lex hadn't made a move to reconcile, because Lex told him that it was up to his parents to fix things, because they were in the wrong. Maybe... Clark shot a look at Chloe, who pointedly looked away and bit her lip. 

"Chloe!" 

She turned back. "Clark, they're your parents. They should meet their grandchild at least once. And if they're here it means they're ready to get over their hang ups, right?" 

"Maybe." He turned back to Lex, who was waiting patiently. "Let them up." He went over to stand next to Lex. 

Lex gave the command, and a short while later they heard the elevator ding, and then there was a knock on the door. Lex opened it, and Clark's parents waited outside, his mother wringing the strap on her purse, his father's hands in his front pockets. 

Clark stared at them, angry feelings not gone. His mother offered a tentative, "Hello, Clark." 

"Hi." He stared awkwardly at his feet. "What are you doing here?" 

"Chloe called us to inform us that the baby was born. You look good." Clark had to admit he did; the extra weight he gained was falling back off again fairly quickly. 

"Thanks." 

His dad spoke up. "Can we come in, son?" 

"You sure you don't mean `daughter'?" Clark shot an angry glare at his father. 

"Yes, Clark." 

"Then fine." 

Clark led them to the living room, which Chloe had vacated, and his parents sat stiffly on the couch facing the fireplace, while he and Lex sat on the one next to it. He hid a smile; he and Lex had had amazing sex there a few weeks ago, while he was nine months pregnant, right where his parents were sitting. "Say what you have to say." 

His mom looked sad, and he felt a little bad about being so cold. A little. "Clark. Lex. We're sorry. The world can't always fit into the conservative latticework within which we live. Alternative families are becoming almost normal today." Clark let the insulting dig slide; he didn't think his mom knew what she was saying. "And we hope that you accept our apology. You and Lex are good boys, and we're still trying to... grow accustomed to your relationship." 

"Well, you're going to have to. And even if we did break up for some reason, Lex is still the father of... sperm donator to... um. He was there when the baby was made." 

Lex tugged on a lock of hair on the back of his head. "Good save, Clark. As Clark is trying to say, both he and I are Logan's fathers. You have to accept it. I could either take or leave you, but it might be nice for our son to have grandparents who aren't psychotic. Who love him for him, and not because of his potential, and who don't resent him because of the fact that he was created by two unmarried men." 

The Kents looked over at them for long moments of silence, until Clark's mom spoke. "We understand. We're trying, really. We just need time." 

"Mom, you've had months." 

"And we're almost ready." She looked at her husband, and they had a brief conversation with their eyes before she looked back to Clark. "Can we see him? What did you name him, Logan?" 

"Yes. Logan Ryan Kent Luthor. It's a mouthful, and the initials kind of sound like radio call letters, but we like it." 

"It's... nice." The way she said the statement didn't lend much credence to it. Maybe he should tell her that part of him hadn't wanted to include the `Kent' part at all. 

"Come on. He's sleeping, but you can look. And you have to be quiet." 

Clark and Lex led the way to the nursery, which Lex had insisted be decked out with the top of the line everything baby-related. Frankly, Clark found the place a little over-stimulating. Maybe that was why the baby couldn't sleep. The crib was on the far wall from the door, and footsteps were light as they crossed the floor. 

Inside the crib, the baby was sleeping on his back, tiny hands curled up around his head. It looked like a horribly uncomfortable position. But that didn't stop Clark's mom from giving a happy little moan and covering her mouth with her hand. She whispered, "He's so beautiful. He looks just like you. _Both_ of you." 

Clark grinned, and felt Lex's arm snake around his waist. "Thanks. He's perfect." 

Lex offered, "He's a screamer when he doesn't get his way. Very strong willed already. I'm not sure if that's a Luthor or Kent trait." 

Clark chanced a look at his dad, who was standing there stock still. "Dad, are you okay?" 

"It's just... It really makes it real. And just looking at him... He's amazing. And I can't believe we almost didn't get to see him." Clark didn't say anything, and Lex's arm tightened around him. "I'm sorry, Clark. Lex. Nothing that produces something so wonderful could be all that sinful." 

Clark wasn't sure how true that was, since his parents thought he and Lex were living in sin even without the baby, but he let it slide. He was sure that many conversations would be had in the near future to clear the air, and he was grateful. He may have a kid, but he still needed his mom and dad. 

He cocked his head as he heard a noise out in the hall. He whispered loudly, "Chloe? Come on in." 

She tiptoed in carefully, not wanting to trip over a stuffed animal or make too much noise. "Everything okay in here? It's too quiet without the kid screaming." 

Clark put his finger to his lips. "Shh! Don't jinx us." He pulled her in close on the side Lex wasn't attached to. "Thank you. You're amazing." 

"I know." 

Clark smiled at her, and felt Lex press a kiss to his temple, and for the first time in nine months Clark really felt that things were going to be okay. At least until Logan learned how to drive. Or fly. 

* * *

_Almost twenty years later_

"Thank God for Chloe, right, Lex?" 

Lex nodded as he watched Clark across the kitchen table. "Not only did she save our asses once the world got wind of Logan's birth--public relations agent and first line of defense for the press, who would have thought--but without her your parents would never have met him. There's no way they would have gotten over their plethora of issues without her giving them a nudge, or an earful." 

"Yeah." Silence descended, but a content one. "And then twenty years later, we find our son banging his best friend, because he needs to, and it's barely an issue. Difference of a generation, right?" 

"You can say that again. And it better stay at one generation for right now." 

"At least it's Tim!" 

"And not that junior Flash, what's his name, Bart? The kid would be the most hyperactive being on the planet." 

"Heh, with Tim's genes there's an equal chance he'd wind up... a sensitive poet or something, wearing a fedora or something, reciting in one of those coffee shops." 

"Or a child prodigy doomed to be socially awkward for the rest of his life. Or one of those crazies the Justice League is always fighting." 

Clark stood to finish clearing the table, and Lex decided to help him. He could do chores when he put his mind to it. Really. "Clark, things may have turned out strangely for us, the millionaire playboy and his nave farm boy, but they turned out pretty good." 

Clark took the glasses from him and put them in the dishwasher. "Yes, they did. Strange, but good." Lex smiled as he tried to figure out where to put the salt and pepper shakers. "Lex, just leave them there." 

"Okay." Fine, if Clark didn't want his help, he wasn't going to offer it again. Instead, he was going to figure out if, when, and how he was going to confront his son about his recent activities. It wasn't easy being the father of a smart, talented, brave, and legal kid, especially not when he was apparently as horny as his fathers had been. 

Not easy, but always interesting. 

* * *

A/N 1: Title from the porno title "Tender Strangers." 

A/N 2: I do not like the Kents. And I really don't think they'd be okay with Clark shagging a guy, let alone Lex. </lj-cut>


End file.
